The Morning Report
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Friday, June 22, 2007 | There is a reader and frequent commenter on this site who constantly carps that the professionals at the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department do not deserve the high levels of salary and benefits they receive. During the recent budget debate over compensation for our firefighters, this commenter blathered on about firefighting not being a dangerous job. On Monday, June 18, 2007, nine brave firefighters sacrificed their lives in the line of duty during a warehouse fire in Charleston,S.C. This tragic death toll is the worst since over 300 firefighters perished following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. And let’s not forget the heroism of our firefighters during the devastating wildfires of 2003 here in this area. The events of recent years, as I’ve mentioned, are why I am a strong, outspoken supporter of our public safety personnel and the jobs they perform for us on a daily basis. For any of them n-fire or police-nit could indeed be “Here today, gone tomorrow.” Not dangerous? I guess ‘danger’ means different things to different people.
Let’s not forget these facts the next time we consider how much our public safety professionals in this city are worth.